Perhaps he didn’t share the spotlight other celebrated producers like the Neptunes, Timbaland and Dr. Dre have received, but the influence James Yancey, a.k.a. Jay Dee and J Dilla had on the Hip-Hop movement and Neo Soul sound shall be forever recognized among the pure enthusiasts and musicians of both genres. Yancey recently released a 31-track instrumental album called Donuts (Stones Throw) – simply titled due to his fixation for the cake rings - on leading independent Hip-Hop label Stones Throw. The album dropped on his birthday on Tuesday, February 7. Three days later, Yancey passed away the morning of February 10 in his Los Angeles home at the age of 32 from both a rare blood disease and complications from lupus.

Lyrically and musically, the Detroit native Yancey orchestrated some of the most innovative songs and remixes for an extensive roster of stars including A Tribe Called Quest, The Roots, Eryka Badu, D’Angelo, Pharcyde, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes. Always fervent in pursuing his musical aspirations through numerous avenues, he formed Slum Village with high school friends Baatin and T3. Their classic album Fantastic Vol. 2 followed their successful opening act for A Tribe Called Quest’s farewell tour in 1998. The Yancey-driven sonic movement truly represented another element of Detroit’s sound minus the hype of Eminem and D-12.

Regardless of limited limelight which didn’t phase the legendary beatsmith, doors of opportunity began to open at a steady pace for Yancey. His creative manipulation of soulful samples, extensive knowledge of instrumentation and overall gift of musicianship was consistently sought-after by some of the most prominent acts in Black music. Along with classic rap cuts including The Light by Common, and Stakes is High by De La Soul, he collaborated with other prominent producers including the high-powered super group, the Soulquarians, (D'Angelo, James Poyser, and ?uestlove) and Madlib on the album Champion Sound, where the duo “Jaylib” swapped each other’s beats and blessed them with their own lyrical interpretations. Yancey’s critically acclaimed solo project Welcome 2 Detroit flipped the script on the instrumental series “The Beat Generation” pumped out by label BBE, where he unselfishly used the opportunity to introduce fellow “Dirty District” lyricists Elzhi, Frank N Dank, Phat Kat, Beej and others globally. According to his manager, Timothy Maynor, Yancey’s Welcome to Detroit 2 compilation is completed and scheduled for release in the very near future.

Wu Tang member and lyrical assassin Ghostface is one of the last recipients of Yancey’s musical genius on his upcoming album Fishcale that’s scheduled to drop March 28 (Def Jam). In a recent interview, Ghost stated that there is a void that will never be filled regarding the late producer. He became remorseful at the mention of J Dilla and said, “I never met [J Dilla], G. He sent me the tracks and I demoed them. He didn’t even get a chance to hear what I did to ‘em. I wish he could’ve heard them and take them back to the grave with him.” After hearing them, rap enthusiasts can be rest assured Dilla’s beats were not made in vain for the uncanny MC, Ghostface. Continued on page 2 »